Folding chair.



C. A. BUFFINGTON.

FOLDING: CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED 0m. 8. I9l5.

1 a 1 96 655 Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

C. A. BUFFINGTON.

FOLDING CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8. 2915.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

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J9 15' 19 JJ 26' CALVIN A. BUFFINGTON, 0F BERKSHIRE, NEW YORK.

FOLDING CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 191 6.

Application filed October 8, 1915. Serial No. 54,911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CALVIN A. BUFFING- TON, acitizen of the United States, residing at Berkshire, in the county ofTioga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Folding Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of foldingchairs, and an object of the invention is to provide a chair of anextremely simple and cheap construction which may be readily folded tooccupy a small space when not in use.

Another object of the invention is to construct a chair comprising aseat, front and rear legs formed of resilient metal and pivotallysecured to the seat, the legs each including two arms which exert apressure one toward the other so that the same will frictionally contactwith the seat or with members associated with the seat to effect insustaining the device in a set up position.

It is another object of the invention to provide a chair including aseat provided with leg members which are so associated therewith as tobe folded over the seat when the device is collapsed or not in use andwhich, when in a set up position, will provide a firm and steady supportfor the seat.

It is a still further object of the invention to construct a chairhaving foldable leg members wherein the rear legs are of a materiallygreater length than the front legs so that the said rear legs willprovide the back of the chair when the chair is in its set up condition.

With the above and other objects in view, the improvementresides in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in thefollowing specification and falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair constructedin accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing the legs and the back folded over the seat of the chair, Fig. 3is a front elevation of the chair, Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of thechair, Fig. 5 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional Viewapproximately on the line 55 of Fig. 1, Fig. 6 is a perspective view ofone of the clips employed in connection with the back or rear legs ofthe seat.

The seat 1 of my improved chair may be and preferably is constructed ofa slab or piece of wood, and also may be bound by a suitable strip ofmetal, such a metal strip being at least desirable upon the front edgeof the seat and being indicated by the numeral 2. The seat is providedupon its underface adjacent its longitudinal edges with strips or cleats3 which will be secured to the seat in any desired or preferred manner,as for instance, by bolts 1 which are shown in the drawings. The cleats,at the front end of the seat, are formed with transverse notches 5, thesaid notches being disposed directly below the metal strip 2, and theouter sides of the said cleats, at the said front of the seat, arepreferably beveled, as indicated by the numerals G. The notches 5 areadapted to receive the connecting bar 7 formed with the front legs 8when the seat it in its set up position. The legs comprise each twomembers, or more properly speaking each of the front legs comprises asubstantially V-shaped element, the outer arms 9 being formed with aconnecting bar 7 and the inner arms 10 having their ends offset, as at11, and being arranged in suitable bearings provided by openings 12 inthe cleats 3 at a suitable distance to the rear of the notches 5. Boththe inner and outer arms 10 and 9 respectively have their lower portionsoffset to provide outwardly extending feet 13. The metal strip fromwhich the front legs. are formed is of course resilient, and theconnecting bar or bail 7 is adapted to exert a pressure toward theoffset ends 11 of the inner arms of the legs, and so it will be notedthat when the front legs are swung upon their offset bearing portions11, the connecting bar or bail must be expanded and forced away from therear legs before the same can be positioned within the notches 5. Toassist in directing the bar to within the'notches, the underfaces of thecleats 3 below the notches 5 are rounded, as at 14, and this arrangementpermits of the bail being guided to its seat within the notches when theoperator grasps the opposite legs and forces the same to an uprightposition, as it is thought will be readily understood.

The members which I have termed the inner arms 10, of the front legs,lie against the underface of the seat when the front legs are folded,while the bail or connecting member 7 of what I have termed the outerarms 9 of the front legs rests upon the cleats.

The rear legs, indicated broadly by the numeral 15, are of asubstantially similar construction to the front legs, the same beingconstructed from a single strip of strong and resilient wire. The upperor connecting member for the legs is, however, extended above the feetofthe rear legs a distance greatly in excess to that ofthe connectingbar 7 of the front legs, and said rear connecting bar, indicated by thenumeral 16, has its ends bent downwardly, as at 17, and continuedinwardly, as at 18, and the said inwardly extending portions have theirends extended to provide what I Will term the rear arms 19 of the legs15. These arms pass through elongated slots provided in tho oilset orangular ends 92 as well as in a portion of the boss 20 of clip members21.

The chps 21 comprise each a substantially right angular member, and thearm thereof which is provided with the elongated slot and which isformed with the offset ends 22 has said slot disposed only a slightdistance above the seat of the chair, while the second arm of each ofthe clips is secured to the underface of each of the cleats, preferablythrough the bolts which connect the cleat to the seat, a nut 24 beingprovided for each of the said bolts. Disposed upon the'bolts between thelower arms of the clips and the said nuts is a swinging catch member 25,the said member being provided with a slot 7 which enters from one ofits edges and which is adapted to engage with the rear arms 19 of theleg members 15 to sustain the said arms in a vertical position.

The rear arms have their ends outturned and rounded inwardly providing.feet 26, and extending upwardly and angularly from the feet are thefront arms 27 of the rear legs 15. These arms 27 are spread for asuitable distance from the rear arms 19 and the upper portions of thefront arms are oflset and-are passed through suitable openings 28 in thecleats 3, the said offset portions, indicated by the numeral 29,providing the shafts or trunnions upon which the rear legs are adaptedto be swung.

The numeral 30 designates a transverse strip which is connected to therear arms 19 at the juncture of the inwardly extending portions 18 ofthe strand comprising the rear legs and back, and secured to this stripin any desired or preferred manner is a substantially rectangularvertically disposed member 31 which has its upper end bent over the bar16. The member 31 may have its opposite sides inturned to provide cleats32, whereby a wooden back memberc33 may be secured to the said member31, it being understood that the said member 31 is constructed of metal.

In lowering the rear legs 15 as well as the back formed by the rearlegs, the catch members 25 are swung out of engagement with the arms 19and the connecting bar 16 is swung over the top of the seat, theelongated slots permitting of said movement, so it will be noted thatwhile a portion of the rear legs projects beyond the rear of the seat,the chair may be easily and quickly folded to provide only a smallbundle which will occupy only a small space for storage or for shipment.It will be noted that the spring arms providing the rear legs exert atension sui'ficient to normally retain the rear legs in their set upposition independent of the catch 25, and if desired, the vertical armof the clip 21 may be grooved to receive the portion of the rear arms ofthe legs '15 whioh contact theronnth so hat or many Instances theemployment of he oatoh may be dispensed with.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the simplicity of the device, as well as the advantagesthereof will, it is thought be perfectly apparent to those skilled inthe art to which such invention appertains without further detaileddescription.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a foldable chair, a seat, cleats secured to the chair adjacent thelongitudinal edges thereof, front and rear legs for the chair, each ofsaid legs being formed from a single strand of resilient wire comprisinginner and outer arms, the inner arms having their ends offset andjournaled in bearings in the cleats, the outer arms being spread fromthe inner arms to exert a tension toward the inner arms, the connectingmember of the strip being formed with the outer arm, the outer arms ofthe rear legs adapted to press against the rear of the chair, while theouter arms of the front legs and the connecting member therefor adaptedto press against the cleats when the chair is in a set up position.

2. In a foldable chair, a seat, longitudinal cleats upon the bottom ofthe seat, said cleats at the juncture of the chair having transversenotches and the said cleats having their lower faces rounded toward thesaid notches, front and rear legs each formed from a single strand ofresilient material, each of said legs comprising a pair of inner. andouter arms which are oined by feet and which are spread away from eachother from the said feet, the inner arms having their ends offset andjournaled in openings in the cleat, the connecting member of the outerarms of the front legs adapted to be swung over the rounded portions ofthe cleats to permit of the connecting element of the said arms beingreceived within the notches in the cleats, clips upon the rear of theseat having offset ends provided with elongated slots through which theouter arms of the rear legs pass and to further permit the said outerarms and the connecting member therefor being swung over the top of theseat when the chair is in its folded position.

3. In a foldable chair, a seat, cleats upon the bottom of the seatadjacent the longitudinal edges thereof, said cleats in the front of thechair having transverse notches and the underface of the cleats beingrounded toward the said notches, front and rear legs for the said seat,each being constructed from a single strip of wire and each including aconnecting member having vertically disposed arms having their endsoutturned to provide feet, inner arms connected with the feet and spreadaway from the other arms to exert a tension between the said arms, theinner arms having their ends oifset and ournaled in openings in thecleat, and a connecting member for the front legs adapted to be swungover the rounded portions of the cleats to engage in the notches of thesaid cleats, clip members secured to the cleats and extending verticallyto the rear of the chair, said clip members having their vertical endsoffset and provided with elongated slots through which the outer arms ofthe rear legs pass, and the connecting member of the said outer arms ofthe rear legs being disposed a distance above the seat and beingprovided with longitudinal and transverse connecting members providing aback for the chair, and catch members engaging said outer arms of therear legs for assisting in sustaining the said rear legs in the set upposition.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CALVIN A. BUFFINGTON.

l/Vitnesses:

CHAS. A. PARTRIDGE, HIRAM C. CRoss.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

